The present invention relates to fire extinguisher and alarm apparatuses.
Frequently, highly combustible materials are temporarily stored in wastebaskets or other suitable containers until permanent disposition may be made of the materials. Such containers are a possible source of fire which may arise from spontaneous combustion of the stored flammable materials or carelessness of an employee in discarding a lighted cigarette or match into the container.
Several fire extinguishers have been proposed to extinguish fires in such containers. The U.S. patent Le Day, U.S. Pat. No. 4,034,813, proposes a fire extinguisher and alarm, but the device is mounted on the wall, and the extinguisher may miss the container if the container is misaligned with the extinguisher. Also, the extinguisher of that patent is located too high relative to the container, and it may be actuated too late to extinguish the fire. Also, the device of that patent requires a relatively high velocity of fluid to actuate the alarm which is directed at the contents of the container, and this high-velocity fluid may spread burning paper or other materials to locations outside the container in the room, which might start other fires.
The U.S. patent Wilson, et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,532,996, also proposes a fire extinguisher for containers. However, the device of this patent requires separate reservoirs for a fire extinguishing fluid and an alarm fluid and is unduly complex in construction. Also, this unit sounds its alarm only after discharging the fire extinguishing fluid--a delay which could prove most harmful in an emergency situation.